Camino in Oakland?
Anyone know when this is slated to open? Last I heard it was April (but no firm date). Any leads are greatly appreciated.
mandala12
Apr 22, 2008 08:52AM
On The Insider:
Sarah Jessica Parker's Mole Removed
42 replies so far
« Back to the San Francisco Bay Area Board
In the Boards
In Blog Posts
The good news: Calorie restriction seems to work. The bad news: Lots less ice cream. More...
Miriam Wolf
today at 5:27pm |
Comments (0)
Return it to the brewery and get more. More...
Lessley Anderson
yesterday at 3:14pm |
Comments (1)
A friend who's going to be working there said about May 1.
Permalink | Reply
Thanks!
Permalink | Reply
What type of restaurant and where?
Permalink | Reply
On Grand in Oakland. Wood oven-centric menu (camino = fireplace in Italian). Probably something like Pizzaiolo minus the pizza.
3917 Grand Ave Oakland, CA
Permalink | Reply
My bus goes past there and it still looks like it's far from opening. But at least they got rid of the port-a-potties outside so maybe that's progress? It's on the far end of Grand Avenue between the Grand Lake Safeway and Ace hardware store. The owners/chefs are formerly of Chez Panisse, which is why it's getting a lot of attention, including a mention in Food and Wine as a place to go in 2008. Guess they were thinking they'd open earlier.
Permalink | Reply
Is this the brick building that used to be a furniture store?
Permalink | Reply
Yes. It's a few doors down from Taza de Cafe.
Permalink | Reply
Hasn't Taza closed? I live up the hill (toward Piedmont Ave.) and everytime I go past I never see anyone in the place.
I have been curious about Camino; will definitely give it a whirl in early June when I have some time and between major dental appointments.
Permalink | Reply
Taza was open Sunday night. What you see from the street is the front bar, most of the seating is in the back.
Permalink | Reply
Plus, sometimes it's closed for private events.
Permalink | Reply
Russell Moore, previously the upstairs chef at Chez Panisse, and Allison Hopelain will open Camino on upper Grand Avenue Oakland this week. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening party last night. The space is beautiful and has a wonderful feel. Most importantly, the food is terrific. They hope to start full service this week (closed Tuesday).
http://www.caminorestaurant.com/
Permalink | Reply
Camino is opening today Sunday, May 18th at 5:00.
Hours are: Sunday - Thursday 5:00 - 10:00 (Closed Tuesdays) and Friday & Saturday 5:00 - 11:00 510-547-5035
Permalink | Reply
Went last night. Beautiful large and airy room, brick walls, stamped tin ceiling. Good-sized bar / waiting area in the front. Two tables that must each seat at least 30 run the length of each side, back-to-back benches (former church pews) run down the center flanked by mostly four-top tables. Funny-looking chairs are also former church furniture. Tables aren't too close together. Not too noisy, though it was only half full.
Open kitchen at the back, wood oven in one corner, a big open hearth with room for two cooks in the center, salad station in the other corner. All the hot food is cooked over wood.
The food is very similar to Chez Panisse Cafe's. (So is the appetizing smell of the place.) The opening-night menu had just four appetizers and three entrees, so three of us just ordered everything. Great rocket salad with nuts and shaved cheese, chicken salad with pickled beets, melt-in-your-mouth headcheese with frisée salad, crostini; stunning vegetarian entree of baked eggs with red lentil puree, peas with mint, and asparagus, roast and braised lamb with greens and grilled polenta, fish with potatoes and saffrony sauce. For dessert we had a fabulous cherry-almond tart that was sort of like a clafouti and a little composed plate of housemade creamy nougat, candied orange peel, and buckwheat cookies.
Short but interesting wine list. We shared a bottle of marzemino ($28?) and one glass of Banyuls.
No significant service glitches. Total bill before tip was $56 each.
I really like this place. I hope it's as relaxed and pleasant when it's full.
Permalink | Reply
This is great news...and a bit dangerous (to the pocketbook!), too. Camino is an extremely short walk from my house. Can't wait to try it.
Permalink | Reply
Thumbs up from me, too. Had the fava bean crostini, soft boiled egg and spinach app, the sand dabs with arugula and fennel salad, the roasted artichokes with polenta and beans, the cherry and apricot cobbler, and the chocolate-almond cake with espresso whipped cream. Everything was really good. Dessert wines are a steal ($5 for moscato, $5.50 for banyuls - went great with the cobbler and the cake, respectively).
As Robert said, strong references to Chez Panisse Cafe are everywhere, down to the oatmeal-colored stock the menu's printed on.
Permalink | Reply
Was the menu still four appetizers and three entrees?
None of those dishes was on Sunday's menu.
Permalink | Reply
Yep - the other apps were a new garlic soup, a chicken salad, and something I can't remember. The third entree was roasted pork. If they change the menu this much in the span of two days (and execute everything as well as they did last night), I think i can justify making a standing reservation to eat there weekly...
Permalink | Reply
With such a short menu, I'll be surprised if they don't change it daily.
Permalink | Reply
What are the prices like for each entree? I was thinking about taking some out of town guests there Sunday evening, but I wanted to check out prices first.
Permalink | Reply
I had a pretty underwhelming meal at Camino last night. We shared a roasted asparagus and beet appetizer (this was very tasty), a little gems salad with anchoives and beets, the "mixed grill" of cod and pork belly (2 orders of that), and the grilled and braised chicken with peas and new potatoes. While none of the food was bad, none of it was particularly good either, and the portions were small -- we all left hungry, and I can't remember the last time that happened. The chicken was pretty flavorless, the peas were clearly fresh peas but were overcooked, and the new poatoes were boring. The fish in the mixed grill was the best thing that I had, but the pork belly was tough, and this is the first time I've ever met a pork belly that I didn't like. I really wanted to like this place, and the wine list was pretty reasonably priced, but I won't go back for food for a while (though I may go to the bar for a drink).
Permalink | Reply
Don't feel alone, I had a similar experience. Had a roast pork salad which was good but not great. Portion size was small and the food was not hot. Tried all three entrees: artichoke with marrow beans, roasted chicken, and a petrale sole dish. All three dishes were again not hot at all. The artichoke dish consisted of 4 artichoke heart pieces (roughly one heart cut into quarters maybe a little more) on a bed of marrow beans. It had good flavor but wish it was warmer, the chicken dish probably had about 4 ounces of chicken with a soggy grilled piece of bread and some peas. Again, the flavors were good but a really small portion for about a $25 chicken dish. The sole was the largest dish but the sole was not deboned (intentionally). We would not have ordered it had we known but it was not mentioned on the menu. My dining companion spent the whole meal attempting to pick all the pin bones out of the dish with only moderate success.
Biggest complaints:
Small portions but not small price
Food is served cool/cold
Small menu
Bones in fish
Permalink | Reply
I ate there last night as well, with 4 others. We ordered everything on the menu plus doubles of a few dishes because we knew it wouldn't be enough food. Last night: 4 aps, $7 & $9, 3 entrees, $18 & $22.
It wasn't. we left hungry even after ordering all the desserts too. Our "tables'" favorite (there are long communal tables) was the vegetarian entree: Roasted artichokes with marrow beans, baked egg and dried pepper $18.
The mixed grill that listed pork belly had one one inch piece of some the best pork belly I've eaten but overcooked salted ling cod.
I would say it was similar to CP but only in airs, not plates. Salt and acid were missing as was cohesion and even flavor.
Total bill including 2 delicious non alcoholic drinks and 3 glasses of wine: $250 before tip.
I found it most unfortunate that nothing non-cafinated besides a rosemary tisane was available. Even a Roiibos would be nice...
Desserts could have matched the season as well. They felt a little autumn to me.
Menu writing is not their strong suit just yet. When you list an ingredient on the menu it can't merely be a garnish. Especially when it's a protein.
Permalink | Reply
Of course it's gonna be expensive...In addition to the fact that you're paying for the "cachet" of their CP street cred; they turned a frickin' furniture store into a resto!!! Can you imagine the cost of doing a full build-out. Regardless of whether they own the building, or even had an assist from the landlord, that's gotta be one costly venture. I'm guessing between three and five hundred thou...perhaps more? Twenty five bucks for a quarter chicken; that's a hundred dollar bird...sheesh!! Better be one HELL of a good chicken....
Permalink | Reply
And that's the thing...the chicken wasn't that good, and I don't even think it was a quarter of the chicken. It was $22, but that's a fine price for me if the chicken is great, but it was such a small serving and not particularly good. The setting is fantastic, though, and I loved the wood fires going, but if the fires hadn't been in the back of the restaurant, I would have had no idea that any of the food was cooked with a wood fire.
Permalink | Reply
Thanks for the update. I was planning to dine there sometime this week, but looks like we'd better let the place settle down. BTW, am going to Zuni this Friday - been there 5 times already, & had never had anything else other than their roast chicken.
Permalink | Reply
It's hard to imagine that $22 for 1/4 chicken could compare with Zuni's fabulous whole chicken for two with bird-juice-soaked bread salad and greens for $48.
Permalink | Reply
We went again last Friday sort of by accident—À Côté was packed and Dopo was closed.
Sat in the bar area while waiting for a table to open up, which was fine as we wanted to try the bar snacks (not available in the dining room). Tried three reds by the glass, a very nice Brouilly ($7.50), a really interesting Tenuta delle Terre Nere ($7.75), and a boring Xavier Clua "El Sola d'en Pol" ($5.50). Spice-roasted walnuts ($3), chicken liver and olive toasts ($4), radishes and fennel ($4), and Fatted Calf Genoa salami ($4) were all very good. The walnuts didn't go so well with any of the wines, would probably be a better match for cocktails or sherry.
Started dinner proper with a lovely local rock fish and mussel stew with dried chiles ($12.75) and a bean and black cabbage soup ($8) that I would not have guessed was vegetarian. Got a bottle of the Brouilly ($38) which was as expected a great match with the fish and also the entrees.
Then we had grilled pork (three or four different cuts) with fresh peas, wild fennel, and red lentils ($25). Good thing we got two orders as neither of us wanted to share.
Finished with a simple dish of roasted apricots and cherries ($9) and a fabulous "honey nougat mousse" ($7) that I'd have called a semifreddo. Got glasses of moscato d'Asti ($5) and Banyuls ($5.50).
Total for two before tip was $185, which seemed quite reasonable to me given the quantity and quality.
Permalink | Reply
" quite reasonable to me given the quantity and quality."
Completely opposite my feelings on the place.
Permalink | Reply
Doesn't sound like we had the same experience. All the food I've had was at the right temperature. So were the wines, which is rare. Portions seemed fine to me and I'm a big eater.
Might have helped that it wasn't full on either visit, that when there's Acme bread on the table I eat a lot of it, and that we ordered dessert.
Permalink | Reply
When I went it was probably 90% full. At my table it was me and one other person. We finished all of the bread, shared one app, split three entrees, and dessert. I didn't leave hungry but at other places I usually have an app and entree and am satisfied.
I asked the waitperson about the food being cold and she said the fans used to pull the smoke out of the kitchen area causes the food to get cold quickly and they didn't know what they were going to do to fix the problem.
Maybe I have to try and go when they aren't crowded.
Permalink | Reply
Well, maybe it's also that you ordered a number of bar snacks, then appetizers, before ordering dinner and dessert. When I went,there were three of us, and we ordered two apps and an entree for each of us, and we all left hungry, and that kind of ordering is usually fine for the three of us in comparable places. It just still seems pretty uneven there, since there are a number of people who obviously had good experiences, and those of us who had the opposite, even with the same dishes (sailorbuoys above commented on the dish that I had, and while his pork belly was good, mine was awful, and the opposite is true about the fish part of that dish). And the price point isn't high, it's just high for leaving and then wanting to go have dinner (or dessert at A Cote, which is what we did when we left).
I hope that it evens out, if it does I'll be back, but at those price points, I'm not going to roll the dice for a while.
Permalink | Reply
This is the kind of place the old Chowhounds should love. One of a kind, unique, a mom & pop setup with the owner cooking every meal and the other owner walking the floor to make sure everyone is happy.
Nothing packaged, nothing copied. Intimate and personal at every level. Camino is exactly the kind of place I used to use Chowhound to find out about.
Permalink | Reply
No one "should" love something. I don't care how good it looks on paper, or even when I walk in the door. If it doesn't perform on the plate, then I'm not going to like it. Chowhounds still like places like that, but only when they actually deliver deliciousness, because that's what Chowhound is about. In this case, some people had good experiences with the food and some people didn't and they gave their honest opinions. Sounds like the "old Chowhound" to me.
Permalink | Reply
I was excited when I first heard about this place -- particularly the "no corporate liquor" policy -- but given all the bad reviews here I'm highly skeptical. Is it worth it maybe just for drinks?
Permalink | Reply
As I noted above and below, the bar snacks are tasty and cheap.
Chez Panisse gets lots of negative reviews. Maybe the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.
Permalink | Reply
I would not compare the meal that I had at Camino to anything that I've ever had at Chez Panisse, so yes, I felt like the apple fell a lot farther from the tree than I would have hoped. However, the drinks were tasty, and I was pleased that their wines by the glass were pretty reasonably priced, so going to the bar for drinks is probably a good idea.
Permalink | Reply
Some may consider my review "bad" but I was not suggesting someone avoid Camino. If not for the cool temperature and small portion size of the dishes I received, I thought the food was well executed. The flavors and quality of the ingredients really shined. The service was attentive and pleasant. I am willing to go back and try it again, but will probably wait a little while and see if they can work out the couple of issues I had.
I would actually like people to continue to go and keep us posted on how things are progressing. If I don't see anymore complaints over the small portions and/or cold food then I will head back sooner. Robert was there more recently than I was and stated the food came to his table at the right temperature. That is a good sign.
Permalink | Reply
My experience at Camino is exactly the same as Robert's. Although it's a work in progress, our three meals have been excellent. Sure there have been minor snags in service and pace of the kitchen, but the place has only been open 2 weeks and each visit has shown improvement. We all have different expectations with some valuing quantity over quality or price over value but my personal feeling is that it's more important to go with an open mind and evaluate a restaurant in terms of what it's trying to achieve rather than whether it fits one's preconceived notion of what it should be.
Permalink | Reply
I went with a completely open mind and no preconceived notions or high expectations. In addition, I am not one who wants to leave a restaurant stuffed or with food to go. However, this place is charging a pretty penny for chicken, pork, beans, and rock cod. If you feel like paying the money for the CP pedigree and think you are getting your money's worth then that's fine. I eat out a lot and Camino did nothing for me. I understood the quality of the ingredients, the freshness, and the clean flavors. Even if the food had been hot, the portion sizes and prices were out of whack considering I can go other places and have a more enjoyable meal for less money. Its really not about the money, I am willing to pay to have an good experience. In the case of Camino, the experience was not worth the price.
Permalink | Reply
We were around the corner at the rose garden yesterday, so we decided to stop by the bar. Great duck cracklings were $3! Can't remember if the chicken liver crostini were $3 or $4. I was a bit disappointed that they ahd only two red wines by the glass and one was the Clua I didn't like.
They have a full bar and lots of housemade liquids for cocktails.
Permalink | Reply
A "full" bar to me includes VODKA, which they don't see fit to serve. Also what's up with the no decaf coffee BS?
Permalink | Reply
They don't stock any corporate liquor, so most brands of vodka are out. They don't stock Hangar One?
If they don't have decaf, I'd guess either they haven't found one that meets their standards for sustainability and so on, or they reject decaf on principle as overly processed. I'm sure they'd be happy to explain that.
Permalink | Reply